Anti-Semitism, Hamas Support Growing in Iceland

Anti-Semitism has reared its ugly head in Iceland, where a bicycle shop owner posted a sign on the door baldly stating "Jews Not Welcome Here."

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Hana Levi Julian, 01/02/09 12:53

"Jews Not Welcome Here!"

Israel News Photo: (courtesy of DV.is)

Anti-Semitism has reared its ugly head in the capital of the island nation of Iceland, where the door of a bicycle shop displays a sign baldly stating "Judar Ekki Velkomnir" -- "Jews Not Welcome Here."

The word used on the sign, "Judar," carries a derogatory connotation in the Icelandic language, according to the Icelandic native that brought the sign to the attention of the Jewish Agency for Israel. "Gydingur" is the correct neutral word for Jew, according to Vilhjalmur Orn Vilhjalmsson, who emailed information about the shop and its owner to a friend in Israel.

Vilhjalmsson, who has written about the Jews in Iceland for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA)'s Institute for Global Jewish Affairs, noted in a past article that no Jewish presence existed on the island prior to the 1930s.

An article about the anti-Semitic sign and shop owner in Reykjavik appeared Thursday on Iceland's DV.is news website, which also featured a photo of the owner in his shop.

An Aryan-looking man with light hair, the shop owner appears to be in his 60's, possibly older, of medium build. The words "Hamas" and the Icelandic word for "solidarity" were mentioned in the caption below the photograph.

Also included in the article was information about the shop's website, which includes an English-language page with information for tourists who wish to rent bikes. No warning about Jews being unwelcome is posted on the English page of the shop's website.